5 things you need to know Thursday

Every Simpsons episode ever — all 552 of them — will run on the FXX network starting Thursday. The 278-hour marathon is believed to be among the largest deals in syndication history. FXX network, part of the FX Now app available to authenticated cable subscribers, will provide on-demand access to the entire library of episodes for streaming. A related website allows viewers to research characters (a page on Sideshow Bob lists "attempted murders"), find and share clips, read scripts and explore Simpsons lore (users, for example, can find a running tally of chalkboard gags). Fans can stock up on Simpsons gear like underwear and makeup for the marathon.

2. U.S. Ebola patients to be discharged from hospital

Two American aid workers treated for Ebola are scheduled to be released from an Atlanta hospital Thursday. Emory University Hospital announced early this morning that it will discuss the discharge of Kent Brantly and Nancy Writebol. Bruce Ribner, medical director of the hospital's Infectious Disease Unit, will talk about the decision to release the patients during a press conference at 11 a.m. ET.

Kent Brantly, an American doctor diagnosed with Ebola in Liberia, was working at an Ebola treatment center in Monrovia on behalf of the North Carolina medical missionary group Samaritan's Purse.(Photo: Joni Byker for Samaritan's Purse)

3. Ex-Va. governor Bob McDonnell takes the stand again

Former Virginia governor Bob McDonnell is expected to be on the stand for the next two or three days in the federal trial in which he and his wife are accused of accepting more than $165,000 in gifts and loans from wealthy Virginia businessman Jonnie Williams, then chief executive officer of Star Scientific, in exchange for promoting the company's dietary supplements. On Wednesday, McDonnell talked about the strain that his call to public service put on his wife, Maureen.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry is set to speak Thursday at the Heritage Foundation in Washington, D.C., about the crisis of Central American children crossing the U.S. border. Perry has deployed about 1,000 National Guard troops to the Texas-Mexico border — a move that has drawn protests from Mexico and from Democrats who say the governor is militarizing the border. Perry's appearance in the nation's capital comes just two days after the governor had his mug shot and fingerprints taken at the Travis County courthouse as he was booked on two felony charges of abuse of power related to a local political dispute.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry poses for a mug shot photo after turning himself in to authorities at the Blackwell-Thurman Criminal Justice Center Aug. 19, in Austin.(Photo: Travis County Sheriff's Office)

5. Bank of America to settle with Justice for nearly $17 billion

Bank of America has agreed to pay nearly $17 billion to settle federal and state allegations it sold risky, mortgage-backed securities to investors before the national financial crisis. The settlement, the largest in history between the federal government and a single company, is expected to be unveiled as soon as Thursday, a source tells USA TODAY.

Bonus: Happy 55th anniversary, Hawaii! Fifty-five years ago the United States added its 50th state.

Fifty-five years ago, the United States added its 50th state. As Hawaii celebrates its anniversary, take a spin through captivating photos from the waters, beaches and volcanoes from the state's eight main islands, kicking off with a view of palm trees in Wailua, Kauai. (Photo: 1998 photo by Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau)

Makapuu Beach on the east coast of Oahu, Hawaii. Islands to the right are Rabbit Island and Lizard Island, that were named for their shape rather than inhabitants. Both are protected wildlife refuge for seabirds. (Photo: 2007 photo by Mike Tsukamoto, USA TODAY)

Visitors to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park on the island of Hawaii view a surface flow of lava from the Pu'u O'o vent on the slope of the Kilauea caldera, which began erupting in 1983. (Photo: 2003 photo by Mike Tsukamoto, USA TODAY)

Hanauma Bay on the island of Oahu. The bay is a marine life preserve that draws over one million visitors a year and was formed when a volcano crater collapsed into the sea, forming a protected bay. (Photo: 2003 photo by Mike Tsukamoto, USA TODAY)

From Here to Eternity Beach on the eastern shore of Oahu. This beach was made famous in the love scene of the movie "From Here to Eternity" starring Burt Lancaster and Deborah Kerr. (Photo: 2007 photo by Mike Tsukamoto, USA TODAY)

View of the east coast of Oahu from the Nuuanu Pali Lookout. It was on these cliffs of the Koolau Mountains in 1795 that the army of King Kamehameha defeated the Oahu army by forcing them over the 900-foot cliffs, uniting the Hawaiian Islands. (Photo: 2003 photo by Mike Tsukamoto, USA TODAY)

A blossom blooms in July 2007 on an Ohia Lehua tree at Kauai's Limahuli Garden. The north shore site of the National Tropical Botanical Garden features a variety of plants native to the islands. (Photo: AP file photo)